In this article, I’m going to review three different daily planners that you can use to get a good start on achieving your goals in 2020.
I consider myself a pretty good organizer and planner. Having chaired many fundraising events over the years, I had the reputation as a she-gets-it-done event planner and project manager. I was good at taking the big job, breaking it down into sub tasks and planning steps-by-steps. Even with a reputation as a great project manager, I still struggle with planning my day, checking off tasks and making headway on my big goals.
Time management and daily planning is something we all struggle with to some degree. If you are a business start-up, there is so much that needs done that your list is probably a little overwhelming. If you’ve been in your job for years, you may be more relaxed as your work has taken on more of a leadership role and your schedule ebbs and flows with the day to day business of doing business. Either way, do you ever feel like your day is not productive, big projects get kicked like a can down the road and your goals are so removed from your everyday struggle, they are like a long lost friend?
How can we conquer time management and get on track with everything we want to do? According to time management expert, Alli Worthington there is no secret formula. It’s this simple. Whatever system or planner you have, the key to success is this – use it! Think about it. It’s true. The days I feel most lost and misdirected are the days I didn’t plan. I allow the day to take shape hour by hour. I know in my mind what I should be doing, but I attend to other’s needs, permit interruptions, default to simpler or smaller tasks and avoid the concentrated commitment that bigger projects require. Does this happen to you too?
This past year, I’ve been on the hunt for tools that can help me be a better organizer and make more productive use of time. I admit, even with technology, I love a good paper planner. It helps when I can write things down, see the visual in front of me, take my pencil and check things off or scratch out a completed task. As stupid as it sounds, I love that! I love progress and if that means progress shows up as scratching out things done – I’m in!
When I was in sales, I faithfully used a Day-Timer. Today there are multitude of planners on the market designed to meet the needs of various niches. For instance, there are life planners that help you focus on life goals not just work. There are planners if you are a big thinker and need to focus on ideas. My focus has been on finding a planner that is designed with a business person in mind and offers some motivation and/or review process to keep me motivated and on track. Here are the three planners that I have used and are good for balancing life and work. My trials showed that these are each unique and different so read below to see if one is right for you.
Passion Planner
Passion Planner is “the one place for all your thoughts. An appointment calendar, goal setting guide, journal, sketchbook, gratitude log & personal and work to-do lists all in one notebook.”
Passion Planner has a simple mind map process for breaking down your short and long-term goals and incorporating them into your daily life. The planner will help you plan for the future, reflect on the past, and act today. Passion Planner says “Think of it as a paper life coach”, and I find that to be true.
Passion Planner Features:
Available in two sizes, dated or undated
Each planner is for one year
Two page layout for weekly planning for appointments and to-do items
Weekly motivational quotes and a helpful work tip
Weekly blank space for “infinite possibilities”
Monthly calendar and monthly review
The Passion Roadmap
When you buy one, Passion Planner will gift one to organizations and schools who are helping lift people up to achieve their dreams.
Prices starts at $30
My experience with Passion Planner:
Because I put my appointments on the 30 day monthly, and carry these forward to each week, I use some of the daily space for to do items as well. There is space to note a weekly focus and a place to record good things that happened. What is most unique about the passion planner is the Passion Roadmap (see photo), a space to create a mind map of where you want to go, where you expect to be in 3 months, 1 year etc. Once you do this first mind map, you take one goal from this page and make a detailed mind map that breaks the goal into dated tasks. It’s pretty simple yet effective. At the end of each month, there is a monthly reflection and monthly checklist. Questions like “What were the three biggest lessons you’ve learned this month?” and “Name three things you can improve on this upcoming month.” Once again, simple yet effective.
I love the Passion Planner and it provides a nice balance between my work and the life I want to live. But because I want to pursue bigger professional goals in 2020, I just started using a Panda Planner.
Panda Planner
Panda Planners are designed to “boost productivity and happiness.” The planner engineers mini-routines based on proven research to help you build habits of productivity. It is much more detailed and asks questions that are more specific to business such as identifying KPI’s.
Panda Venture Planner is the same size as my Passion Planner but is only for three months. So I will need four books for the whole year. Obviously, this means there is a lot more content and requirements for all levels of planning: quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. I can tell its going to take more time to use it most effectively but I’m interested in seeing if the investment of time in planning, helps me achieve my goals and have better use of my time.
Panda Planner Venture Features:
Designed for entrepreneurs with eight pages for quarterly planning
Space for core values and 3 year, 1 year goals plus previous quarter review and KPI’s
Two-page task list for quarterly goals
Two-page 12 week layout for placing tasks into specific weeks for the quarter
Monthly calendar with space for designating a focus area, monthly habit, tasks and area for notes
Weekly two page spread for reviewing last week and planning next week with prompts for big wins, issues, opportunities, projects and sub-tasks
Two-page daily layout; daily habit, your gratitude list, daily focus and notation on exercise
Daily Renewal box, an area to make sure as an entrepreneur you aren’t working too hard to burn yourself out. I think it’s a pretty good reminder and use of space
Daily priorities list, daily tasks list and an evening review section
A portion of every sale goes towards planting new trees all around the world
Price starts at $29
My experience with Panda Planner
One unique thing about the Panda Planner is habit tracking. Each month there is space to identify a habit. To track it, there is a little “H” in the corner of everyday on the monthly calendar. Here is where you would make a check mark if you achieved the habit that day. For example, if you set a monthly habit of making one sales cold call per day, this is where you check off that task and accomplishment. This habit tracking design uses very little space but is big on impact and changing behavior. I am finding this to be a great tool.
Another thing the Panda Planner does well is prompting for wins from the day but also how to move forward. Each day the planner asks questions about what were the successes for today and an area to identify things to improve or processes that need to be planned.
The Panda Planner is going to require quite a bit of work. I think once I get in the groove, it won’t take as long and I will fly through it pretty easily as my mindset changes and I know what to expect. I’m going to have to be really disciplined to make the most of all that it offers.
High Performance Planner
The High Performance Planner is more of a mindset planner and journal than an actual time manger or task planner. If you use a task management app on your phone, this could be a great compliment.
The High Performance Website states, “this combination planner-and-journal helps readers strategize their lives and increase their performance via writing prompts, self-assessments, and calendars--all backed by science and the author's 20 years coaching highest performers.”
High Performance Planner Features:
Large 8 x 11 format
Two-page per day format with half devoted to daily schedule.
Ten morning Mindset questions
Evening Journal and daily scorecard
Weekly Life review and High Performance Habits Review
Monthly Reflection, long term goal alignment and Whole Life Assessment
Price starts at $ 19
There is not a lot of space for daily tasks and priorities. If you don’t have a lot of appointments, this space can also be used for your to do list. Each day begins with ten morning mindset questions like “One bold action I could take today is…” or “Big projects I have to keep in mind are…” The planner helps you end your day with an evening journal that asks six questions such as “I could have made today better is I …” One section I like is the daily scorecard where your rate your day on productivity, courage etc. It’s easy yet effective in helping you compare day to day and week to week.
The High Performance Planner works well for helping you develop and maintain a positive mindset or if your main focus is developing you in the job you’re in. Because it’s strong on mindset, it does lack tools to help with daily planning and task management. At the end of each week is a weekly review that poses questions, includes a weekly scorecard on ten factors and a rating of high performance habits. At the end of each month is a monthly reflection, long-term goal alignment and a Whole Life Assessment. The Whole Life Assessment has you score ten areas of life such as finances, family, and experiences.
My experience with High Performance Planner
I used the High Performance Planner for about 45 days. It didn’t provide me enough task and to do list management, and the review sections really focused on life performance rather than work performance. If your work is mostly about leading a team and wanting to develop yourself as a whole person, this could work really well and even better when paired with an app that can track your projects and to do list.
Making Sense of it all
Having used each of these planners, here are my recommendations:
Passion Planner – Great if you want equal attention devoted to your goals, ideas and things to do. Has a nice balance of motivation as well as being a planner for organizing tasks.
Panda Planner Venture Format – Strong format for business owners and entrepreneurs. Asks quite a few tough questions to keep you on track with your business. Other versions are available if you want a more generic approach.
High Performance Planner – Great if you want to create better habits and become a better leader in all that you do. If you are having trouble with work/life balance, this could be a helpful tool.
As you plan for 2020, invest some time to find the tools that can help you work effectively and on task. Maybe you’re not a paper planner kind of person; there are great apps that can help. If you like a paper planner, I hope my experience with these three formats will help you discover a new tool that can help keep you on track.
Do you need more help than a planner can provide? If you struggle with time management, task management and accountability, I have a TMA Coaching Program designed to build good habits while focusing on desired outcomes. Contact me for more information and a no-commitment personal assessment.